


3 Stories

by Freeandbored



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Developing Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:06:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25617814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Freeandbored/pseuds/Freeandbored
Summary: Three stories without an exactly continuation.
Relationships: Netherlands/Taiwan (Hetalia)
Kudos: 2





	1. Window

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lars has waited for his sister in the car for several minutes. He is in a very bad mood, and it's a hot day. However, the day can always get better.

It was a hot morning and Lars was still waiting in the car. He checked his phone. It had been 15 minutes since his sister had asked him to wait for her. She and her friend were going to retrieve her forgotten sweater at one of the mall stores. Lars reluctantly accepted and let her go. But when he noticed that another 10 minutes passed, he thought she probably didn’t know which store she left it at. As if she didn’t have any more clothes at home, he said to himself in anger, plus it was too hot to wear a sweater.

That thing of becoming his siblings’ chauffeur wasn’t working for him anymore. When it wasn’t accompanying Henri to the dentist, it was taking Emma to the place she would meet her friends. Not that they demanded it, but every time he protested, his parents gave him the eternal sermon of doing good. It was his duty as an elder brother to look after the younger ones. He rolled his eyes at the thought, but at that point he supposed they were right and perhaps it was better to take care of them than entrust them to one of their friends without fear of danger and bad reputation as a driver.

But it was one thing to provide them with transportation and another to wait for almost half an hour. Just then, the heat increased and he almost opened the window when a girl stopped by the car. He was about to ask her what she wanted, until she took a lipstick out of her purse and started applying it. She put it delicately from one side to the other and then she pressed her lips together to open them again making a sound of _pop_ with her mouth. He was outraged to think that she had no qualms about using the window as a mirror. Then he realized it wasn’t that. Of course, she thought there was no one in the car. Considering that there were those humiliating videos where a girl is caught and made a fool of by this kind of incident, maybe it was better to pretend the car was empty and leave her alone.

Lars tried to ignore her, but he continued to watch her as she arranged the flower that adorned her long brown hair, then pulled her hair back in a move that he found too flirtatious, and she admired herself from different angles. Lars had to admit that she was quite a pretty girl, so for a moment he was as if mesmerized by her sweet face. Suddenly the charm was broken when she answered a call and grimaced as if imitating her interlocutor. Lars couldn’t help laughing and he tried in vain to keep quiet by covering his mouth with both hands, until he gave out a loud snort.

At that moment she hung up and went to the window, staring at it with a scowl, and then she reached out with her hesitating hand and knocked on the glass with her knuckles. Lars got nervous, but opened the window instantly. The two looked at each other for a few uncomfortable seconds and she was surprised. She had made a fool of herself in front of a rather handsome guy.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were there”, she said, covering her red face with embarrassment. Apologizing a thousand times.

“No… it’s not your fault, I let you do it. I could have stopped it” he replied, feeling a little guilty for ridiculing her, when he tried to do the opposite.

Then she uncovered her face, to confront him. She narrowed her eyes and looked at him accusingly, putting her hands on her waist.

“So, you did it because you were laughing at me? You didn’t tape it, did you?” she asked indignantly.

“Of course not!” he babbled, showing her his palms.

“In that case, you are still mean, you would have at least honked the horn” she said, pouting and crossing her arms.

“I know, but who makes gestures while answering a call anyway? Do you often do that?” he replied, looking away with disdain.

She shrugged. It wasn’t that, her big brother had dialled her, reminding her for the thousandth time that what she should buy for him, it was something without thinking. Then she added with a certain mischievousness in her eyes. “And I suppose your habit is to make like a little pig while you are laughing”.

He blushed up to his ears and frowned. That was why he had always found his laughter unpleasant. It wasn’t like he was a happy guy anyway, and this was the first time in a long time he had laughed so hard. If only she hadn’t grimaced like that, he would be calm now, though still waiting for his sister and her friend. The girl smiled again.

“Although I think that was kind of cute,” she admitted.

“If you say so…” he said even more embarrassed, but hiding it with a disgusted face.

“Well, I’d better go and do some shopping. By the way, my name is Mei” she said, stretching out her hand to shake his.

“I’m Lars” he replied, corresponding to her greeting and shaking his large hand against her small, delicate hand.

“Nice to meet you. I’m going to grimace somewhere else” she said, with a smile.

She let go of his hand and turned around to leave. He remained there, watching her walk away, thinking that he would have like to continue talking and hear more about her. Although he didn’t know if it would be right to follow her, he didn’t want to bother her after that painful encounter. Then he saw her return, and with a certain shyness she asked him:

“Hey, would you like to go for a drink? It’s very hot and I would like to apologize for the misunderstanding”.

“Yes, sure” he replied without hesitation.

Mei smiled and so they both went to buy an ice cream. While they were looking for a table at the ice-cream parlor, he saw his sister talking and eating an ice cream very peacefully with some friends. Then he understood why it was taking too long, but he wasn’t angry, because now he had company too.


	2. Passionate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She is passionate, he knows it, but how he should react?

When they left the cinema, Lars and Mei walked through the still crowded streets, entered a café and chose a table. She was happy, she had told Lars for several weeks that she wanted to see a movie and he agreed to go with her from the first time she mentioned it. While they waited for their orders, she talked about all the details, from the animation to the dubbing of the film. Lars knew that each of these points was very important to her.

Mei told everything with such passion that he didn’t feel like doing anything but listening and watching her. He lost none of the detail of her gestures and words, the movements of her hands, that special sparkle in her eyes, the blush of her cheeks and above all, her sweet smile. She looked satisfied because all her expectations had been fulfilled.

“I’m looking forward to making a fanart!” she expressed with excitement as she delightedly tasted her slice of cake and did that little dance in her seat from when she ate something delicious.

It was too lovely a scene. At that moment, Lars wanted to say something to her, anything, whatever, to show that he was happy for her, but instead the words left him and he felt the emotion coming down his throat. At first, he pretended to cough, then covered his mouth with the inside of his elbow and, unable to hold it any longer, began to laugh. When Mei saw him, her face darkened.

“What are you laughing at? Don’t make fun of me,” she asked embarrassed, blushing.

Lars tried to calm down, it wasn’t that he was laughing out loud, it was more like a nervous and uncontrollable laugh, he felt his face was turning red and it was very hot. He coughed again to clear his throat and shut up at once. Mei looked down as she chopped up a piece of strawberry with her fork. More than annoyed, she seemed disappointed, and above all, sad. It took several minutes to calm him down.

“Mei, forgive me. I wasn’t making fun of you, I swear,” he said softly.

Mei looked at him questioningly, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. Although she knew that Lars’ sense of humor didn’t include making fun of others, much less her. That was true. She had long suspected, however, that asking him to watch animated films or dramas with her was upsetting him. Judging by the little attention he paid to them, he probably thought they were childish nonsense. So, she felt ridiculous for telling him all that as if it was a big deal.

The reality was different. He was not at all irritated by it; on the contrary, he was glad that she made him part of her interests, that she was transparent and didn’t pretend to be who she wasn’t just to please him. He liked her to be honest about what she liked and didn’t like. It was amazing to see her and listen to her talk about something she was passionate about, that made him fall more and more in love with her. In addition, Mei read the books he recommended with real interest, supported him in reading his writings and encouraged him to continue.

He felt like a fool for laughing. Instead, he would have wanted to hug and kiss her several times, tell her he was glad and eager to see her work, but he didn’t know how to deal with the tenderness she inspired in him. He found it difficult to react, he was too clumsy and coarse to do anything about it. Sometimes he would gently pinch her cheeks or hug her for a long time until she protested that she needed to breathe.

On this occasion it had occurred to him to laugh, as if someone might take that as a good reaction, especially when one is as excited as she was. They didn’t talk again, they finished their candies, they paid and he walked her home. She walked away from him, still not talking. The silence was uncomfortable and the tension began to become more and more noticeable. Lars wanted to fix the misunderstanding before it could get any worse. Then he stopped.

“I meant what I said before, I wasn’t laughing at you. It just makes me happy seeing you like this, passionate about something…” he admitted.

Mei also stopped and turned to see him.

“But you make me nervous and I don’t know how to react or what to say to you” he continued.

“Really?” asked Mei.

He nodded. “Why would I make fun of you for being excited?” he said, reaching out and putting a lock of hair behind her ear.

She looked away, equally embarrassed. Then she sighed.

“No, it’s ok. I know you would never make fun of me like that, I took it badly. Forgive me too, I always insist that you see these things with me without even asking you first,” she said, hugging him and hiding her face in his chest.

“I like you to do it,” he replied, putting his arms around her. “I told you, I like you to be passionate.”

She separated to look him in the eye. He smiled and bent down to kiss her. They continued walking, he wrapped one arm around her shoulders and she wrapped hers around his waist. As they continued talking and feeling happy as evening fell. 


	3. Taking care of you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mei wants to take care of Lars, but it’s difficult.

That morning, Lars woke up as best as he could. He was dizzy, his body was sore, his throat was irritated and he felt too hot. Mei had asked him to lie down and go back to sleep, but after a few minutes, he decided to get up, thinking that the discomfort would be temporary. He slowly dressed and left the bedroom in silence until a couple of sneezes gave him away.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Mei asked in a calm tone. Just as she thought, he wouldn’t stay in bed for long.

“I have to go to work. I feel better already,” he answered calmly.

“You don’t leave this house. You need to rest. I called in sick” she said.

Although he didn’t like to miss work, that answer took a load off his mind. So, resigned, he let himself to be guided back into the room. Mei helped him put on lighter clothes and after he got into bed, she took his temperature.

“38°” she muttered as she checked the thermometer, then sat down on the edge of the bed and caressed his feverishly burning cheek.

“But I don’t feel so bad,” Lars said, trying to sound convincing, but sneezing and blowing his nose again.

Mei smiled sadly, pulled his hair back from his forehead and put a cloth of mild water on it. She knew him well enough to know that he would try to play hard and pretended to feel better so as not to worry her. She was also aware that he didn’t like to look vulnerable, even because of something as common as a cold.

The previous afternoon, when they were walking back from shopping, they were surprised by a downpour. Although they took a hot shower when they got home, later, before going to bed, Lars said he had a slight pain in his throat. However, he didn’t take much notice, until he spent half the night sneezing and complaining.

“I’ll bring you some food and medicine, while you sleep some more,” Mei asked, then she stood up, sent a kiss with her hand and left the room.

Lars followed her with his eyes until she left the room. He sighed in frustration, there was no other way. He tried to get comfortable and sleep, even though the body pain impeded him to rest, and this added to the continuous runny nose, was even more difficult. He tried to stay calm and act rationally, but who he was kidding, he felt terrible. A few minutes later, he finally fell asleep for what seemed like a few seconds. He had an uneasy dream, but when he woke up, he felt less hot, maybe the fever had gone down.

Meanwhile, Mei was still worried. She looked out the window, it was a grey morning and the rain hadn’t stopped for a minute. At least, that day she didn’t have to go to work and could stay at home and take care of Lars, and the weekend was still going on. That relieved her, but it also alarmed her because Lars could be too much of a stubborn man. She was sure that if she had to leave, he would have gone to work as if nothing had happened. Lars took good care of her when she was sick, but when it was his turn to be cared of, it was always very difficult.

She evoked the first time she took care of him, also because of a cold. It was when they were in college. At first, he had refused, telling her he didn’t want to be burden, even though it was no bother for Mei. It wasn’t his fault; he had grown up thinking that he shouldn’t cause problems for others and that he should always be strong. In the end, he felt so bad that he didn’t have the strength to keep fighting and she spent the whole weekend with him until he recovered.

Mei sighed after thinking about it, so she hurried, made some soup and heated the water for the tea. Then she remembered that syrup her grandmother used to give her when she when she was sick. It was such a good remedy that it might ease his sore throat. Besides, it didn’t have so many ingredients and was effective. She knew that Lars was very picky and maybe he wouldn’t want to try it because he didn’t believe in remedies. However, Mei always managed to convinced him of whatever it was and if it was a matter of getting better soon, he probably wouldn’t put up with so many “buts”.

Soon after, when everything was ready, she came back into the room again with a bowl of chicken soup, a cup of tea and the medicine on a tray. Lars was already awake and sat down to try to eat, although he wasn’t hungry or in the mood for that, he just wanted to take a flu medicine and go back to sleep. Mei already knew that Lars would refuse to eat, so before he could take the spoon, she went ahead and grabbed it first, put it in the soup, and after blowing on it a little bit, she went over to feed him. He hesitated, even though it wasn’t the first time she had fed him in his mouth.

“What’s wrong?” Mei asked.

“I’m just… not hungry,” he replied, blushing.

She thought the fever had gone up, but when she checked again, she realized it wasn’t. So, she urged him to eat, even a little.

“Bunny, you have to eat. Otherwise the medicine alone won’t work. Come on, say _ah_ ” she asked, also opening her mouth.

He did, still hesitating, and she smiled contentedly. He looked away, even though they had been together for many years and had been married for four, she could still made him very nervous. Mei kept feeding him little by little until the soup was over. The truth was that, in spite of everything, Lars liked her to spoil him, especially when he was sick. Mei was a patient and caring wife, so he felt very lucky that she had stayed home with him. So, he let himself be spoiled. 

“Now drink your tea carefully because it’s still hot,” she said.

As he sipped his drink, he saw his wife take out a small bottle with a strange liquid. She took the other spoon and emptied it a little.

“Open your mouth,” she said, bringing the spoon to him. Lars looked at her questioningly, but still felt too weak to protest. When he tasted the substance, he almost spat it out.

“What is that?” he asked, still gesturing.

“It’s a special syrup, my grandmother used to give it to my siblings and me when we were sick,” she explained, a little amused by his expression.

“I hope it at least works,” he said, turning to the tea to get rid of that unpleasant taste.

“Oh, Bunny! Of course, it works. Now, go back to bed and rest.”

Lars nodded, and she stood up to continue the chores. To tell the truth, he didn’t want her to leave, he felt more at ease in her company, but he was afraid to infect her. So, he just watched her leave the room. He did the same and decided to listen to her. If he wanted to recover soon, he had to rest, eat well and take his medication.

A few days later, Lars woke up in a good mood, feeling much better. Mei wasn’t in bed, so, he assumed she was already making breakfast. He didn’t waste any time and went to the kitchen. She waved good morning to him as she heard him approaching, but she didn’t have time to turn around to see him, because he had hugged her from behind. Lars had never been too affectionate, but that hug was so warm and transmitted all the tenderness he wanted to communicate.

“I’m glad to know you’re feeling better now, bunny,” she said.

He let go, and finally, she turned to see him.

“Yes, that syrup helped me a lot,” he commented, even if he didn’t believe it.

“See? It’s effective,” she replied with a smile.

Lars looked at her as if he wanted to tell her something else, but he couldn’t seem to find the right words, so, he just hugged her again and kissed her on the forehead.

“Thank you for taking care of me”

Then, she wrapped her arms around his waist and raised her face to see him.

“Remember that you will never be a burden to me”

“I know, I know,” he said, giving her another kiss.

They both smiled and remained united in that tender embrace full of comfort and tranquility.


End file.
